EP1499490A1

EP1499490A1 - Method for producing three-dimensional bodies or three-dimensional surfaces by laser radiation

Info

Publication number: EP1499490A1
Application number: EP02785242A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Ruth Houbertz-Krauss; Jochen Schulz; Lothar Froehlich; Michael Popall; Boris Chichkov; Jesper Serbin
Original assignee: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft zur Forderung der Angewandten Forschung eV; LZH Laser Zentrum Hannover eV
Current assignee: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft zur Forderung der Angewandten Forschung eV; LZH Laser Zentrum Hannover eV
Priority date: 2001-10-26
Filing date: 2002-10-18
Publication date: 2005-01-26
Anticipated expiration: 2022-10-18
Also published as: EP1499490B1; DE10152878A1; DE10152878B4; WO2003037606A1

Abstract

The invention concerns a method for producing three-dimensional moulded bodies, self-supporting and/or borne by a support or for creating structures on surfaces by local selective fixing of a material containing polysiloxane, said material ranging from fluid to pasty and organically modified, in a solution of said material, by polymerization with at least two photons. The organically modified polysiloxane is obtained by hydrolysis and at least partial condensation of a raw material containing or consisting of at least a silane of formula (I)R1aR2bSiX4-a-b, wherein: R1, identical or different, represents an organic group polymerisable by polymerisation with at least two photons; R2, identical or different, represents an organic group non polymerisable by said method; X represents a group capable of being separated from silicium by hydrolysis; the index a is 1, 2 or 3, the index b is 0, 1 or 2 and a+b together represent 1, 2 or 3.

Description

Process for producing three-dimensional bodies or surfaces by laser irradiation

The invention relates to the production of any body with three-dimensional structures, which can either be self-supporting and / or held by a carrier, by solidifying a polymerizable liquid. These bodies are for many purposes, but especially for optical, (di) electrical, magnetic and mechanical applications, e.g. Suitable as three-dimensional, substrate-supported layers or as cantilevered, three-dimensional bodies that can be freely selected in terms of size and shape. In particular, structures or bodies can be generated in orders of magnitude down to below the μm range.

In the past, mainly stereolithographic processes have been used to produce three-dimensional bodies from polymerizable liquids. For example, reference is made to the two WO documents 93/08506 and 95/25003, one by

Describe the action of radiation that can be solidified, which is solidified into a three-dimensional body by layer-by-layer (stereo) lithography. The layered structure of the shaped body takes place in this method by first arranging a carrier plate or building platform close below the bath surface and irradiating the layer of the liquid lying above the carrier plate in accordance with the desired cross section of the object, in order to solidify a base layer of the object, which rests on the carrier plate. The carrier plate with the layer solidified thereon is then moved further into the bath, a liquid layer subsequently to be solidified laying over the already solidified layer. Careful layer preparation is of particular importance in this process. It is now common practice to draw a stripping element of a relatively complex device for smoothing the liquid layer over the surface of the bath after each lowering of the last solidified layer. The application and smoothing of the new liquid layer takes approximately the same time as the exposure of the liquid surface during consolidation. Since the process of the respective preparation of a new liquid layer on the bath surface above the last solidified layer can no longer be significantly accelerated, this method is limited in its practical application by the time required for this. In addition, the achievable molded part accuracy is limited by the wiping smoothing technique. This is due, among other things, to the fact that the shear forces which arise when smoothing the liquid surface represent a great load for, for example, thin-walled molded parts. In addition, the scraping elements or wiper blades used for smoothing must be customized to the respective properties of the Liquid, for example, to be adjusted to the viscosity. Accordingly, it is very troublesome to manufacture three-dimensional bodies with this method.

The development of structures / components / components in the field of sensors, microtechnology, data and telecommunications, electronics, chip technology and medical technology tends to become ever smaller structures while increasing the integration density and their functionality. On the one hand, this requires suitable materials, on the other hand, flexible methods are also required, which can then unfold the full range of the outstanding material properties.

A relatively new technique for creating three-dimensional structures is the so-called two-photon absorption photopolymerization. With this, only a small space within the liquid to be solidified, which is solidified by the energy input, can be controlled with relatively good accuracy. The

The molded body can therefore be produced within a corresponding liquid, no longer (only) on its surface. The method mentioned is described, for example, in H.-B. Sun, et al., Opt. Lett. 25, 1110 (2000) and H.-B. Sun et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 74, 786 (1999). However, the usual organic substances accessible to such a polymerization are not suitable per se for this. Two strategies have been described to overcome this disadvantage: Firstly, the development of special molecules with suitable absorption properties, such as bis- (diphenylamino) -substituted polyenes, which can only be obtained at great expense. On the other hand, the use of conventional polymerizable materials that are exposed to ultra-short laser pulses with high peak energy, e.g. TkSapphire femtosecond laser pulses. These were irradiated into the resins to be solidified with wavelengths in the range of approximately 400 nm. It is not only the diffusion of the resulting oligomers that falsifies and changes the size of the solidified volume elements (so-called voxels). The pulse energy and the light intensity profile also play a role. Good reproducibility is therefore difficult to produce; the bodies have very imprecise and, in particular, very rough outlines.

A refined process for the production of moldings has recently been registered with the DPMA (DE 101 11 422.2). This enables direct polymerisation of a photosensitive resin in a location-selective manner within the bath volume, that is to say also far below the bath surface, with high accuracy. According to this method, radiation from a spectral range is used, which normally does not absorb from the photosensitive liquid to produce the solidification effect becomes. If the radiation intensities are not too high, the liquid is essentially transparent to the radiation used. The bath to be solidified is irradiated with radiation, the wavelength λ of which is approximately nx λ ₀ , where λ ₀ denotes the wavelength at which the liquid material would absorb radiation and the absorption process with an optical excitation by triggering the

Material consolidation process, n is an integer greater than 1. In practice, n is usually 2. If the intensity concentration of the radiation within the liquid bath is used to produce an intensity increase in which

If multiphoton absorption, namely n-photon absorption (predominantly with n equal to 2, but also eg 3) takes place, the energetic excitation of the material to induce the hardening effect by irradiation with light of wavelength λ can take place in the region of this locally increased intensity, this radiation outside the above-mentioned zone of increased radiation intensity, the liquid penetrates in the manner already mentioned without triggering the solidification effect. The zone of increased intensity can be realized with relatively simple means by focusing the beam, possibly after a previous beam expansion, so that the intensity is only high enough in the immediate vicinity of the focus to allow two-photon absorption (n = 2) or multi-photon absorption (n = 3, ...) in the liquid material. In order to produce a shaped body in the bath, the focus can then be guided to the points to be solidified within the bath volume in accordance with the geometry description data of the shaped body. A similar process was recently developed by Kawata et al. presented in a short notice in Nature, Vol 412, p. 697.

In contrast to the stereolithographic processes, which solidify an object in layers in a bath of a liquid that can be solidified by the action of radiation while moving the object further into the bath, a three-dimensional body to be generated is thus created in only one work step when it is generated by means of femtosecond laser radiation a surface or in volume. This means that there are no undesired gradient effects in the component, which can certainly occur in stereolithographic processes due to the manner in which moldings are produced. However, by varying e.g. gradients of the radiated power density are generated, which leads to the formation of dense or less dense networks.

However, the materials used for these processes are usually organic thermoplastics (eg polymethyl methacrylate), some of which soften or melt at temperatures above 80 ° C. These are therefore already out For this reason, it is not suitable for a large number of applications, in particular in the areas of sensor technology, microtechnology, telecommunications, electronics, chip technology and medical technology mentioned above.

A variety of organopolysiloxanes (also as organically modified

Silicic acid polycondensates, inorganic-organic hybrid polymers or silane resins) shows negative resist behavior when exposed to UV light (wavelength range up to 400 nm). Accordingly, they can be used for lithographic processes. The resolution in conventional methods, e.g. optical lithography, varies depending on the organopolysiloxane used and is usually between 5 and 10 μm (R. Houbertz et al., Mater. Res. Soc. Symp., in print; B. Arkles, MRS Bulletin 26 (5), 402 (2001 )). If, on the other hand, the materials are structured by embossing, structures in the range of a few 100 nm can be generated, see I. Anke et al., SPIE 2783, 325 (1996); H. Fan et al., Mater. Res. Soc. Sympi 628, CC6.33.1 (2000); M.A. Clarner et al., Op. Cit. 628, CC9.3.1 (2000). In addition, an interference method was used for the structuring of organic-inorganic materials, which although it has a lateral resolution in the 200 nm range, has failed vertically due to the method (PW Oliveira et al., Production of fresnel lenses in sol-gel derived Ormocers by holography, SPIE-proceedings 2288, 554 (1994)). All of the methods usually used for structuring organopolysiloxanes have the decisive disadvantage that they do not allow high-resolution structuring while maintaining the edge steepness with a satisfactorily high aspect ratio.

The present invention has for its object to provide a method by means of which with the help of two (or more) photon polymerisation in a bath of a solidifiable substance any three-dimensional structures, be it in the form of (possibly self-supporting) bodies it can be produced in the form of surface-structured or other layers, which may be held by a substrate, with improved dimensional accuracy of the three-dimensional structures, in particular the possibility of an extremely high aspect ratio and with a significantly reduced surface roughness, which is particularly useful in Makes the field of optics attractive. These bodies or layers should also be extremely small or be able to carry extremely small structures. They are said to be particularly suitable as components for optical, (di) electrical, magnetic, mechanical, biological / biochemical and medical applications. The stated object is achieved in that the bath of the substance to be solidified consists entirely, for the most part or to a significant extent, of polysiloxanes (organically modified silica polycondensates) which contain organic groups which are accessible to two- or multi-photon polymerization.

Surprisingly, it was found that the irradiation and the associated polymerization / solidification of such substances (which are usually in a liquid to pasty form, which is referred to as resin or lacquer), leads to bodies or layers which, after hardening, as thermosets usually ₍ significantly higher temperature stability and greater flexibility in the areas of application and application technology than bodies or layers of purely organic compounds. Other physical and chemical properties of the bodies or layers generated in this way are also excellent. The bodies, layers or their Structures can be generated down to the sub-μm range.

The production of organically modified polysiloxanes or silicic acid condensates (often also referred to as "silane resins") and their properties have been described in a large number of publications. Representative here is e.g. refer to Hybrid Organic-Inorganic Materials, MRS Bulletin 26 (5), 364ff (2001). Generally speaking, such substances are generally produced using the so-called sol-gel process, in which hydrolysis-sensitive, monomeric or precondensed silanes, if appropriate in the presence of further co-condensable substances such as alkoxides of boron, germanium or titanium, and, if appropriate, of additional compounds which can serve as modifiers or network converters, or are subjected to hydrolysis and condensation by other additives such as fillers.

Accordingly, any liquid which contains an organopolysiloxane material which can be used, for example, by hydrolysis and at least partial condensation of at least one silane of the formula (I) was obtained in which R ^{1 is the} same or different and represents an organic radical which can be polymerized by means of two- or multi-photon polymerization, but it is preferred that the two- or multi-photon polymerization is carried out via one or more groups which can be polymerized by free radicals. Systems which can be polymerized with the aid of a cationic UV starter, for example epoxy systems (see, for example, CG. Roffey, Photogeneration of Reactive Species for UV Curing, John Wiley & Sons Ltd, (1997)). However, these systems tend to undergo parasitic polymerization, ie polymerization also takes place in the unexposed areas, which is why they are less suitable for applications with extreme demands on the fineness and smoothness of the surfaces, for example high-resolution lithography. R ² in

Formula (I) may be the same or different and means an organic radical which cannot be added to other groups by 2-photon polymerization. The group X in formula (I) is a radical which can be hydrolyzed from the silicon under hydrolysis conditions. The index a means 1, 2 or 3, the index b means 0, 1 or 2, and a + b together should be 1, 2 or 3.

The radical R ¹ in formula (I) preferably contains a nonaromatic C = C double bond, particularly preferably a double bond accessible to Michael addition. R ² can be an optionally substituted alkyl, aryl, alkylaryl or arylalkyl group s ¹ , it being possible for the carbon chain of these radicals to be interrupted by O, S, NH, CONH, COO, NHGOO or the like. R ² can also contain groups which can undergo an addition reaction with C = C double bonds. The group X is generally hydrogen, halogen, alkoxy, acyloxy or NR ³ ₂ where R ³ is hydrogen or lower alkyl. Alkoxy groups are preferred as hydrolyzable groups, especially lower alkoxy groups such as CC ₆ alkoxy.

The solidifiable organopolysiloxane can be prepared using at least one further silane of the formula (II)

SiX ₄ (II) have been generated, in which X is the same or different and has the same meaning as in formula (I). A compound that can be used well for this is iTetraethoxysilane. By adding such silanes to the mixture to be hydrolyzed and condensed, from which the polymerizable bath material is finally formed, the SiO content of the resin, ie the inorganic content, is increased. This allows the absorption of the resin in the wavelengths of interest to be reduced.

Conversely, the silane polycondensate which is organically polymerizable according to the invention can be used using at least one silane of the formula (IV)

R ^ SiR ² ^ (IV) have been prepared, wherein R., and R _{2 have} the meaning given in claim 1 for formula (I). This lowers the degree of crosslinking of the polycondensate. The mixture from which the silane condensate is produced can also contain at least one silanol of the formula (III)

R ⁴ _a Si (OH) ₄ . _a (III); contain, in which R ^{4 can be} identical or different and each has either the meaning of R ¹ as defined in formula (I) or of R ² as defined in formula (I) and in which the index a 1, 2 or 3, preferably 2 means. Silanols are condensed into the inorganic network without water formation: the hydrolysis can therefore be carried out in the presence of these compounds with the aid of catalytically active amounts of water; otherwise the system can remain water-free. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, disilanols of the formula (III) in a mixing ratio of 1: 1 (mol / mol) with silanes of the formula (I), which preferably contain a group R ¹ , are used as the starting material to be hydrolyzed and condensed.

If R ¹ in formula (I) carries a C = C double bond and R ^{2 is} not present in this formula or has no functional groups, in a specific embodiment the material to be hydrolyzed and condensed can have at least one silane of the formula (V)

R ² _a SiX ₄ , (V) = are added, in which R ² bears a group which radicals to one

C = C double bond can be added. Corresponding condensates are then accessible to polymerization by addition reactions of the groups R ^{2 of} the silane of the formula (V) to double bonds of the radicals R ^{1 of} the silanes of the formula (I).

| The mixture to be hydrolyzed and condensed for the purposes of the present invention may contain further substances, for example preferably lower alkoxides, in particular of metals of III. Main group, of germanium and metals of subgroups II, III, IV, V., VI, VII and VIII.

Overall, the organically modified silica polycondensate, from which bodies can be solidified according to the invention by two- or multi-photon polymerization, should preferably have at least 0.1 mol of groups (R ^{1 of} the formula (I)) accessible to two-photon polymerization, based on the molar amount of silicon atoms plus, if appropriate ., if available, the metal atoms of III. Main group, of germanium and the II., III., IV., V., VI., VII. And VIII. Subgroup. In particular, can _be. use silicon-based resins / lacquers according to the invention, as described in WO 93/25604 or DE 199 32 629 A1. Among these, the modified silicic acid polycondensates of DE 199 32 629 A1 are preferred, since they are produced using silane diols, as a result of which condensation takes place without the formation of water. Co- are very particularly preferred

Condensation products of the compounds Ar ₂ Si (OH) ₂ and R ¹ Si (OR ') ₃ , in which Ar is an aromatic radical with 6 to 20 carbons, in particular optionally substituted aryl and very particularly preferably an unsubstituted phenyl radical bonded directly to the silicon and R ^{1 has} the meaning given for formula (I) and preferably has at least one epoxy group or a C = C double bond, in particular a double bond accessible to Michael addition (for example a (meth) acrylate group). In this combination, R ¹ is very particularly preferably a methacryloxyalkyl, for example a methacryloxypropyl group. The preparation of a silane condensate from a mixture of diphenylsilanediol and 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane in a molar ratio of 1: 1 is described in DE 199 32 629 A1 in Example 1.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the liquid in the bath is solidified by irradiation with femtosecond laser pulses. Suitable lasers for this purpose are preferably Ti-sapphire lasers (either with the fundamental wavelength of 780 nm or, depending on the absorption behavior of the liquid to be hardened, with the second harmonic at 390 nm); other NIR lasers (e.g. with emitted wavelengths from 800 nm to about 1500 nm) are also suitable. However, other laser radiation is also possible, provided that the light source used can irradiate the bath with an intensity that is sufficient or suitable for multi-photon excitation. This property is offered in particular by short-pulse lasers with moderate medium powers. The material to be cured must be transparent to the laser wavelength used. If the material to be solidified were accessible to single-photon polymerization, for example, at 390 nm, any wavelength of 400 nm or more can be used for the two or

Multi-photon polymerization are used; Depending on the resin, 500-1000 nm are particularly suitable due to the transparency conditions. If longer wavelengths are used, the polymerization can also be initiated by n-photon absorption, where n is greater than 2. The threshold fluence at which the polymerization process starts can be reduced by selecting suitable components, such as co-initiators and / or amine components with an increased multi-photon absorption cross section in the resin. This will open the process window, in where the polymerization takes place, but the material has not yet been destroyed.

In particular when using femtosecond lasers as the radiation source, bodies / layers with a drastically increased lithographic resolution are obtained without undesirable side effects of structuring, such as edge rounding, inhibition or low lithographic resolution. The conventional, sometimes complex preparation of layers, which is usually used for structuring, can be dispensed with. The creation of real, shape-accurate three-dimensional structures and components for optical, (di) electrical, magnetic, mechanical, biochemical and medical applications is considerably more precise, faster and more reliable. The type and duration of the radiation also provide the option of specifically varying the degree of crosslinking, so that different physical properties (e.g. refractive index) can be achieved with the same material if required. In contrast to three-dimensional structuring by embossing, not only can three-dimensional structures on substrates (carrier materials) be produced with this method, but three-dimensional cantilevered bodies can also be produced completely from the volume. ;

FIG. 1 shows an example of an arrangement for generating three-dimensional structures: a laser, for example a pulsed laser, is used as the beam source (1) for generating ultra-short laser pulses (pulse duration 10 ps to 10 fs). In order to control the quality of the laser focus, beam-shaping optics (4) can be used (e.g. a beam expansion for the smallest possible focus diameter). Two computer-controlled, rotating mirrors (3) are used to deflect the laser beam in a defined manner in the x and y directions. The laser beam (8) is focused into the resin (5) to be polymerized with the aid of focusing optics (7). This optic is a single lens or lens systems, eg microscope optics. The resin to be polymerized is located under or on a transparent substrate (6). The resin can either be irradiated through the transparent substrate (6) (see sketch), which in this case should have a high optical surface quality, or it can be on the top of the substrate and directly irradiated (without picture). The substrate with the resin can be moved in a defined manner in the x, y and z directions with the aid of computer-controlled positioning systems. This, together with the rastering mirrors, makes it possible to move the laser focus in three dimensions through the resin or the resin through the focus. Alternatively, the focusing optics (7) in the z direction to move the focus in the z direction through the resin. The components laser (1), scanner (3) and all positioning units are controlled and monitored by a PC (2).

The method according to the invention is suitable for any physical application, in particular it is suitable for the applications already mentioned above. Examples of objects that can be manufactured according to the invention are vibration sensors, micromechanical or microelectromechanical parts or objects that are required in optical communications technology. The process is also suitable for use in rapid prototyping and for the production of new types of optical components.

An outstanding characteristic of the organopolysiloxanes which can be used according to the invention is that extremely variable physical, chemical and / or biological properties can be generated by chemical design, with several properties being combined, such as e.g. very good optical (refractive index tuning, low optical losses) and very good dielectric properties (variable permittivity, low dielectric losses, high dielectric strength even in the area of thin layers) can occur. These properties have already been discussed in detail in the prior art; in addition to the two publications mentioned above, reference is made to C. Röscher et al., Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. 519, 239 (1998), M. Popall et al., Loc. Cit. 264, 353 (1992); G. R. Atkins et al., Optical Devices for Fiber Communication II ", MJF Digonnet et al (eds.), Proc. SPIE Vol 4216 (2001) and U. Streppel et al.," Multilayer optical fan-out device composed of stacked monomode waveguides ", SPIE (2001).

As already mentioned above, organopolysiloxanes that are organically crosslinked by two-photon polymerization are thermosetting materials which are distinguished by good temperature resistance and excellent temperature stability in comparison to most purely organic polymers. If necessary, part or all of the organic portion can be eliminated from the materials after the organic crosslinking, for example by pyrolysis at about 300-1200 ° C., whereby a silicate (inorganic) SiO ₂ network remains. This can be used specifically, for example, in the production of fibers for gas separation. In addition, crosslinked organopolysiloxanes are suitable for use in the field of dental medicine since, as far as is known to date, they can be classified as non-toxic, in contrast to, for example, typical purely organic methacrylates (see, for example, DE 41 33 494 C2 or H. Wolter, op. Cit.) , That they are not toxic is because of their Established structure, which consists mainly of oligomers. They cannot contain purely organic monomers. Accordingly, you have already acquired a high level of user potential in medical technology.

A number of inorganic crosslinkable agents which can be used according to the invention

Organopolysiloxanes (organosilicic acid polycondensates) have a low absorption in the range of the wavelengths of interest for data and telecommunications (810 to 1550 nm). Such polymers are obtained, for example, when the condensate has only insignificant proportions of SiOH groups or is almost or completely free thereof. FIG. 2 shows a polycondensate of diphenylsilanediol and crosslinked by the process according to the invention

3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, (shown for the absorption bands of the UV starter Irgacure 369 in the mixture once with and once without this starter). A low absorption is also obtained e.g. by using starting materials whose carbon-containing groups are partially or completely fluorinated. Furthermore, for this purpose it is e.g. favorable to keep the proportion of SiO groups in the resin, ie the "inorganic" proportion, relatively high. This is achieved, for example, by adding silanes to the mixture to be hydrolyzed which do not contain any organic groups but can be hydrolyzed on all four residues, e.g. of tetraalkoxysilanes such as tetraethoxysilane. The light-absorbing materials in the range from 810 to 1550 nm allow passive and active optical elements with high surface quality to be produced inexpensively with the aid of the method according to the invention.

A particular advantage of the method found in the context of the present invention is that three-dimensional bodies with an enormous slope, a high aspect ratio and a very good resolution can be produced, so that any three-dimensional structures, whether in the form of (possibly self-supporting) Bodies, whether in the form of surface-structured or other layers that may be held by a substrate, can be generated. This means that undercuts or cavities can also be created. In conventional stereolithography, such shaped bodies can, as mentioned, also be implemented; However, applying the resin in layers and smoothing the resin surface with a wiper, as is common in stereolithography, has disadvantages that are eliminated in the method according to the invention: on the one hand, applying and smoothing a new resin layer is very time-consuming (about 50 % of the total process time). On the other hand, when smoothing the Resin surface shear forces, which stress the component and thus limit the structure sizes.

The limitation of the lithographic resolution when using optical lithography is not determined by the material itself (with the exception of such systems, which may be subject to parasitic polymerization, see above), but by the methods usually used for structuring, e.g. Exposure through a mask under Pro / m / fy conditions; contact exposure would only be possible by accepting contamination of the masks used due to the very good adhesion of the organopolysiloxanes to almost all materials or by using expensive masks specially coated for this purpose. In addition, the UV structuring of special organopolysiloxanes has the disadvantage of all radically polymerizable systems that, in the presence of oxygen and depending on the photoinitiator used, an inhibition layer forms near the surface, which hinders the UV crosslinking of the material in these areas. Depending on the heteropolysiloxane used, this is more or less pronounced, but has so far been difficult to avoid without special precautions. Alternatively, exposure to nitrogen can be carried out with exposure to nitrogen, which on the one hand leads to success with regard to the inhibition layer, but on the other hand does not change the resolution limitation (proximity) and is also considerably more complex in terms of equipment. Therefore, a further advantage of the structuring according to the invention with the help of organopolysiloxanes is that the body and / or surface components out of the volume, i.e. can be structured completely with the exclusion of atmospheric oxygen or only in the presence of the oxygen dissolved in the resin varnish and without a nitrogen purge.

As mentioned, organopolysiloxane-based resins are materials that can be selected in a wide variety and variety in terms of different physical, chemical, and biological properties because they can carry a variety of different functional groups that affect the physical and chemical properties of the resin ( e.g. network builder, network converter). Therefore, these resins are of particular advantage for use in the designated areas. Above all, the use according to the invention of femtosecond laser irradiation of silane resins for structuring and

Manufacture of three-dimensional structures, be it in the form of (possibly self-supporting) bodies, be it in the form of surface-structured or other layers, which may be held by a substrate, for optical, (di) electrical, magnetic, Mechanical, biochemical and medical applications make it possible to use the structural properties of the materials with high resolution. As mentioned, the basis of the polymerization process according to the invention is two-photon polymerization, and the inventors were able to establish that the cross-section of the interaction (the probability of 2P absorption) of the organopolysiloxanes which can be used according to the invention is sufficiently large for this process to produce three-dimensional structures , be it in the form of (possibly self-supporting) bodies, be it in the form of surface-structured or other layers that may be held by a substrate. The inventors were already able to use lithography using femtosecond laser radiation

Achieve a resolution of approx. 100 nm. However, these values have not yet been optimized. It is to be expected that due to the smallest structural elements of the heteropolysiloxane resins / lacquers in the range of a few nm (1 to 5 nm) (see Popall et al., Op. Cit.) A significantly better lithographic resolution can be achieved by improving the process plants. The organic polymerization of organopolysiloxanes preferred with the two-photon polymerization which is preferred according to the invention should also offer the possibility of being able to carry out an initialization of the polymerization process without a UV initiator, which essentially depends on the irradiated power density (→ necessary temperatures in the range up to 200 ° C, well below the typical temperature stability of up to 270 ° C).

FIGS. 3a and 3b show a honeycomb structure suitable for sensory or biomedical applications, the web width shown being approximately 1 μm with a channel length of several 100 μm. The process can be controlled by varying the laser parameters, such as pulse energy and pulse duration, focusing optics, as well as by using different organopolysiloxanes with their different functionalities in terms of resolution and area of application. Particularly noteworthy is the shown, very high aspect ratio of up to 500 and even more, which is in the range of the aspect ratios demonstrated for LIGA (/ thography-galvanic / impression) or even exceeds them. The very high location selectivity inevitably results in an enormous slope, which cannot be generated in this way with any conventional method. In comparison, FIG. 4 shows an acrylate polymer from RPC AG (Rapid Prototyping Chemicals, Marly, Switzerland), which is optimized for argon and UV lasers with λ = 351 and 364 nm. It can be seen that the roughness is a multiple compared to the honeycomb bodies produced according to the invention (the Shaped body is enlarged by a factor of about 60 less than the shaped body shown in Figures 2a, 2b).

complete passive optical elements, such as e.g. Strip waveguides for mono and multimode waveguide or also diffractive optical elements (DOE) can be completely processed. The processing is carried out in a bath of the material, i.e. from the volume. The production of real three-dimensional, self-supporting bodies or bodies lying on a substrate in one work step leads to a drastic reduction in processing times. In addition, the process offers the

Possibility to initiate the polymerization process by a suitable choice of the focus point, the polymerization being started only in the area of the focus point. In other words, the polymerization reaction is initiated and stopped photonically. In addition, no inhibition layer is formed, as is the case with the conventional structuring of organopolysiloxanes.

The flexibility of the process and the organopolysiloxanes used for it, on the one hand, and its non-toxicity, on the other hand, also allow it to be used in the production of arbitrarily complicated, three-dimensional structures from a virtual model on the computer. This is also used in particular in the area of the manufacture of medical technology components, e.g. Ossicles and other implants. The latter can be supplemented by corresponding i

Optics, e.g. diffractive optical elements can be integrated in one step.

example 1

An organically modified silica polycondensate resin was prepared from diphenyisilanediol and 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane in a molar ratio of 1: 1 in the presence of barium hydroxide monohydrate as a catalyst according to the instructions in Example 1 of DE 199 32 629 A1. A bath was prepared from this, which was irradiated with the arrangement shown in FIG. The resulting solid is shown in Figures 3a and 3b.

Claims

Expectations:

1. A method for producing three-dimensional self-supporting and / or substrate-supported moldings or of structures on surfaces by locally selectively solidifying a liquid to pasty, organically modified, polysiloxane-containing material within a bath from this material with the aid of two- or more-photon polymerization, whereby the organically modified polysiloxane is obtainable by hydrolysis and at least partial condensation of a starting material which comprises at least one silane of the formula (I) R ¹ _a R ² _b SiX ₄ . _ab (I) in which R ^{1 is the} same or different and represents an organic radical which can be polymerized by means of two- or multi-photon polymerization, R ^{2 is} identical or different and is an organic radical which is not polymerizable in this way, and X is a hydrolysis condition of Silicon is hydrolyzable residue, the index a means 1, 2 or 3, the index b

0, 1 or 2 and a + b together are 1, 2 or 3, contains or consists essentially of it.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein R ^{1 is} a non-aromatic C = C double bond, preferably one accessible to a Michaeal addition

Double bond containing radical and / or in which R ^{2 is} optionally substituted alkyl, aryl, alkylaryl or arylalkyl, the carbon chain of these radicals optionally being interrupted by O, S, NH, COHN, COO, NHCOO, and / or at least contains a group which can undergo a radical addition reaction with C = C double bonds and / or in which X is hydrogen, halogen,

Hydroxy, alkoxy, acyloxy or NR ³ ₂ with R ³ is hydrogen or lower alkyl.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the starting material further contains at least one further silane of the formula (II) SiX ₄ (II) wherein X is the same or different and has the same meaning as in formula (I).

4. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the starting material further comprises at least one further silane of the formula (III)

R _a Si (OH) ₄ . _a (III) in which R ^{4 can be} identical or different and either has the meaning of R ¹ as defined in formula (I) or R ² as defined in formula (I) and in which the index a denotes 1, 2 or 3, contains.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein R ^{4 is defined} as R ² in formula (I) and / or the index a in formula (III) is 2.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that the starting material contains at least one silane of the formula (I) as defined in claim 1 and at least one silane of the formula (III) as defined in claim 4, the silane (s) of the formula (I) and the silane (s) of the formula (III) in

Molar ratio of 1: 1 are present.

7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the starting material at least one further compound selected from the C, - C ₈ alkoxides of the metals of III. Main group, of germanium and metals of subgroups II., III., IV., V., VI., VII. And VIII.

8. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the starting material further comprises at least one silane of the formula (IV) R ¹ _a SiR ² _4-a (IV) wherein R1 and R2 have the meaning given in claim 1 for formula (I) have, contains.

9. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein R ^{2 is} not present in formula (I) or carries no group which can be added to a double bond, characterized in that the starting material has at least one further silane of the formula (V)

R ² _a contains SiX _4-a (V), in which R ² bears a group which can be added to a C = C double bond by free radicals.

10. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the material has at least 0.1 mol of a group accessible to two-photon polymerization, based on the molar amount of silicon atoms plus possibly the metal atoms of III. Main group, of germanium and the II., III., S IV., V., VI., VII. And VIII. Subgroup.

11. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the material to be solidified in the bath is solidified in accordance with the geometry description data of the molded body to be produced in that the radiation conditions are increased by

Intensity concentration of the radiation can be met.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that one irradiates with a focused laser beam (8) in the bath (5), the 5 irradiation conditions for solidifying the liquid to pasty material nμr in the immediate vicinity of the focus are met, and that the focus of the beam leads to the solidifying points within the bath volume in accordance with the geometry description data of the molded body to be produced. 0

13. The method according to any one of claims 11 or 12, characterized in that the material to be solidified in the bath is irradiated with a laser (1) which emits radiation pulses of short pulse duration and high radiation power per pulse, in particular with a femtosecond laser. 5

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that the femtosecond laser is a mode-locked laser, in particular a titanium sapphire laser.

15. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that the focus of the laser beam according to one or more of the following measures leads to the points to be solidified within the bath: optical elements (4) for focusing the beam are relative to the bath (5) controlled movement; optical beam deflection elements (3) for deflecting the beam are relative to the

Bath (5) moved controlled; ; a container containing the bath is moved in a controlled manner relative to the beam focus; a building platform present within a container containing the bath is moved in the bath in a controlled manner relative to the beam focus.

16. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the or one of the surfaces of the molded body to be produced have structures in the order of less than 10 μm, more preferably less than 1 μm and most preferably less than 0.1 μm should.

17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that it is a rapid prototyping method.

18. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that different degrees of crosslinking are obtained within the shaped body by irradiating with different intensity gradients, preferably by lowering the intensity and widening the focus.

19. Three-dimensional self-supporting and / or substrate-supported molded body or structure on a surface, produced with the aid of the method according to one of claims 1 to 18.

20. Use of a shaped body or a structure according to claim 19 as an optically active or passive structure, preferably as a photonic crystal or diffractive optics.

21. Use of a shaped body or a structure according to claim 19, as part of a magnetic shaped body.

22. Use of the shaped body or the structure according to claim 19 as a dielectric shaped body or as part of a component using dielectrics.

23. Use of the shaped body according to claim 19 as a mechanically used shaped body.

24. Use of a shaped body or a structure according to claim 19 as a biochip or microelectromechanical system (MEMS) or optical MEMS or a structural element of biochips or (optical) MEMS.

25. Use of a shaped body or a structure according to claim 19 as or in the production of lithographic masks or masks for embossing.

26. Use of a shaped body or a structure according to claim 19 in the production of doped, functionalized systems, in particular filters for the selection of certain wavelengths or wavelength spectra from these materials, which can be produced by targeted dye incorporation.

27. Use of a shaped body according to claim 19 as a medical implant of very small dimensions, in particular for use in the area of the ears, preferably as an auditory bone implant, or in the area of the heart, preferably as a heart valve.

28. Use of a shaped body or a structure according to claim 19 as a microchip sensor, preferably as a gas sensor, in the material of which particularly preferably N-H groups are incorporated.